Yankees' Cabrera hoping to be heard

Mar. 22, 2007

Melky Cabrera earned the admiration of Yankees manager Joe Torre last season with his strong showing at the plate and in the field as a rookie. Cabrera will be the Yankees' fourth outfielder this year.

Written by

Peter Abraham
The Journal News

TAMPA, Fla. - For several years now it has been a spring-training ritual for Latin American players to gather at Mariano Rivera's locker before games and discuss the topics of the day. It's a loud conversation, full of laughter and opinions.

"We talk about baseball and life in general," Rivera said. "Our families, places to go, a little bit of everything."

Bobby Abreu joins in along with Jose Vizcaino, Robinson Cano, Jose Veras and Miguel Cairo. Assistant coach Tony Pena, who could carry on a conversation with a mannequin, often pulls up a chair. ...